dikman

A pretty absurd thing to say (probably by someone who has an overly inflated opinion of themselves) and also a contradictory statement. You can't get the experience unless you make, and sell, the holsters, but if you don't sell them then how are you going to be able to keep making them to get that experience? No-one can make "hundreds" of holsters before deciding to sell them. I'm with you, LiftPig. Once you understand the basics of holster making, whether pancake-style or western, it's not that difficult to make them properly.

Smooth (grain) side out generally has a nicer, finished look about it but some do use rough-side-out for the very reason you mentioned (to try and improve the belt's grip). Whether it makes a huge difference I don't know (I've done both) as over time the rough side will slowly wear smoother anyway.

If you can make a very simple jig to just touch the shaft you should be able to see where the bend is by rotating it.

You're right! Both a work of art and a remarkable achievement. Having just done rudimentary smoothing on mine I can imagine the amount of time he must have spent in smoothing and polishing every part!!!!

But what do the 5 and 16 actually mean?

You need to either replace the handwheel, as Toxo said, or fit a speed reducer . If you search "speed reducer" on here you should find many, many posts on the subject. Do you have a needle positioner fitted, by any chance?

But if you change that won't it also change the spacing width for the stamps? That has to stay the same while widening the part where the belt fits.

I'm guessing it could probably be brazed. If it was mine, being rough as guts I'd probably use the MIG to put a dob of weld on there.

That makes sense. If the forward stitch length is longer then by adjusting the plate further out it should have the effect of shortening the stitch length by limiting the downward travel of the arm. I was puzzled about those small screw adjusters until Old Coach explained it (like many things, obvious once you know ).

Great idea, Gary! I'll add the file to my collection and print it out (never know when it might come in useful). A 1.5" would be nice as it's a fairly standard belt size. (Hint hint ).

That is the reality that many come up against. So many want a single machine to do it all, but it's something that simply doesn't exist. An upholstery-class machine is a good choice - until you want to make holsters! For that you would be looking at a CB3200/CB4500 (or equivalent) type of machine as a minimum, but trying to do finer work on one of those is extremely difficult (if not impossible).

Nice! The background texturing is impressive (as is the carving, of course).

I wonder how many of us have done just that, bought something because 1) we wanted it or 2) it seemed like a good idea, and then had to figure out how to use it. My plasma cutter comes to mind.

As long as the knurling provides sufficient grip I can't see why anybody would be concerned about it.

Not something I use a lot, I bought a cheapie set (4 sizes) and find they work fine for my needs. They're nothing fancy, plain steel so will rust easily.

What sort of holsters are you talking about? Holsters are generally made from much thicker leather than bags etc and also require heavier thread, hence the CB3200/4500. There is a sticky by Wiz at the top of this section that discusses the type of machines needed to sew leather, have you read it?

That's different! Nice job.

Neither do I, it's all about experience and learning to judge when it's right. Unfortunately I mis-judged my last one just a tad but as in your case it still works.

I'm interested to see how it works out and how long it holds up. Simple enough to print a couple more and keep a spare handy.

Frodo, if you're referring to me, thanks for the offer mate but as I'm in Australia the shipping would be a killer! Chuck sent me the info to get mine working so another little project.........

Chuck, I would really appreciate the info on the burner, it could save me a lot of time trying to figure one out. As you probably already know a coal/coke forge isn't that complicated to build (heck, I did it) but a lot of knifemakers don't like them because they're messy and can be tricky to control the heat. Plus they need a bit of work when running, if the clinkers buildup in the bottom you suddenly start losing heat and end up with a molten mass of gunk around the fire grate which can contaminate steel. But there's nothing quite like the smell.

Very nice work, Chuck. Stag handles, brass bolsters, polished blade - bit over the top for a skiving knife!!! I've got a partially built gas forge but never got around to finishing it 'cos I just like messing around with the coke forge too much. I mainly need to make the burner, I suppose I should finish it one day. Now you've got me thinking I should make another round knife just so I can fit stag handles, they just look cool.

That can be a problem too. Sometimes the collecting itself becomes the challenge. When I got interested in blacksmithing many years ago I needed an anvil, so I bought one. And another, and another, and.......I have six (!) but fortunately they became hard to find, and expensive, which stopped me. I forgot to mention that I like the sets of drawers, very useful indeed.

Savvas, be best to start a new post then you can keep all your questions and answers in one place. Makes it easier for others too if searching on the same subject.

Regarding Singer SV models, there is virtually no information available about them. The term SV is also subject to some conjecture, the best guesses are Special Version or Special Variation - no-one knows for sure. They could simply be an experimental variation of the standard model or could be a version specifically ordered by a purchaser, again no-one knows for certain. Manuals for SV models appear to be non-existent (if, in fact, any ever existed). SV models are likely to remain an ongoing mystery. Yours, by the way, appears to be in very good condition.